Prince Philip’s cousin Lady Pamela Hicks reveals the Queen’s Coronation gown was given its own CABIN on the Royal Yacht Britannia for the 1953 royal tour
- Lady Pamela Hicks, 90, shared memories of the 1953-54 Commonwealth tour
- The society beauty, Prince Philip’s cousin, was lady-in-waiting to the Queen
- Revealed the Queen brought along her Coronation gown to wear on the tour
- The garment was given its own cabin on board Royal Yacht Britannia
A former lady-in-waiting to the Queen has revealed how the monarch’s Coronation gown was given its own cabin on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Lady Pamela Hicks, 90, recalled her experience accompanying her cousin the Duke of Edinburgh and close friend the Queen on the six-month Commonwealth tour from November 1953 to May 1954.
Speaking to her daughter India Hicks on The India Hicks Podcast, Lady Pamela recalled the extraordinary care given to the Queen’s Coronation gown on the tour.
Lady Pamela Hicks, 90, pictured, recalled her experience accompanying her cousin the Duke of Edinburgh and close friend the Queen on the Commonwealth tour from 1953-1954
Lady Pamela Hicks, pictured left, joined the Queen, centre, as her lady-in-waiting on the tour. Lady Pamela told how the Queen wore her Coronation gown (pictured) at each stop
The Queen took the Norman Hartnell gown that she wore to her June 1953 Coronation, pictured, on the royal tour. The monarch wore the garment at each stop of the journey
‘The Queen decided to take on the Commonwealth Tour, her Coronation dress and wear it in each dominion for the opening of Parliament,’ Lady Pamela said.
‘The dress required a cabin unto itself. The dress’s cabin was slightly bigger than mine. I was rather jealous.’
The ambitious Commonwealth tour had originally commenced in early 1952 but was cut short following the death of King George VI just weeks later in February.
The then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were in Kenya at the time but returned to Britain to mourn and to prepare for the Coronation.
India Hicks, Prince Charles’ goddaughter, shared a photo of some of her mother’s mementos from the tour, including a black-and-white photograph, a brooch and a diary, pictured
Within five months of the Queen’s Coronation in June 1953, the tour restarted.
The couple flew to Bermuda and onto Jamaica before boarding the S.S. Gothic, which served as the base for the remainder of the tour. The ambitious tour also took in Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, and Malta.
They were on board the Royal Yacht Britannia for the latter part of their journey.
The ambitious Commonwealth tour had originally commenced in early 1952 but was cut short following the death of King George VI just weeks later in February. Within five months of the Queen’s Coronation in June 1953, the tour restarted. Pictured, in Tonga during the tour
Source: Read Full Article